|
|
19th Year of the Reign of Kakyuu, Empress of the planet Kinmoku
Earth Date: Unknown
A lone figure remained standing at the helm of the damaged ship. "Are they following us?" the redhead asked, turning to her lone companion.
The tactical officer nodded. "We have to do something now. If they follow us through the gate, any attempts at escape are useless," she replied. "And we'd be putting the others in danger."
The redhead sighed and glanced at what was left of the bridge. There wasn't a single station that wasn't damaged. Most of the controls had been rerouted to the crystal displays beneath her fingers. What couldn't be, had been shunted to Tactical. It was the only one that could still use the holo-emitters.
In the cargo holds below her feet, a thousand of her people were hoping for a chance at freedom. Her fellow Guards and over a million others had gone ahead of her, the attack coming as a surprise. It had caught them off guard and with just a few shots had damaged their ship severely, killing most of it's crew. "Close the portal. If we can't stop them from following us, we'll bar their way to the others."
"Lady Taiki, that will do no good," said the tactical officer, the only member of the bridge crew still alive. "It will take at least five hundred microns for the portal to close, and the ship will be here in approximately ... three hundred."
"Close the portal," commanded Taiki, who, like all Royal Guard, had learned space tactics as well as music and court etiquette. "Their other ships are too far behind to reach the portal in time. We should be able to keep one ship too busy to go through for two hundred microns." Taiki transformed, probably a useless gesture because the Hrrrrunai ships had strong Reality Stabilizers making them more or less invulnerable to magic. But if this was to be her last battle ... Sailor StarMaker put a gentle hand on the shoulder of the tactical officer, 'so young to die', she thought ... "Fire everything we have at it as soon as it's in range. If the gods are willing, some of us may actually survive this."
As the alien vessel approached, the Kinmoku Royal Guard cruiser fired it's full compliment of weapons, timing the launch so that the missiles and the barrage from their batteries would arrive at the same time. "We did it Commander! Their shields are gone, propulsion gone, attitude control gone--dead man's tumble!" The tactical officer smiled triumphantly until several warning lights started blinking on her console. "Incoming!"
StarMaker watched helplessly as several missiles closed on their position from the enemy ship. "Is there any sign of the other ships?"
The tactical officer shook her head. "Alien ships have broken off their attack and left orbit. It's just us and them, Commander."
"Do we have anything left to fire?"
"Negative, Commander. All missiles launched, and all batteries are completely discharged."
StarMaker was manning the helm herself. 'No time for evasive action; the portal is almost closed.' She sounded the collision alarm, the fastest way to get everyone to brace themselves for impact, even as she diverted all possible power to the maneuver drive. 'Either we get through, or we don't.' Their ship was still faster than any of the Hrrrrunai ships in normal space and might even outdistance the long range missiles-
There was the horrible sound of metal scraping metal as the ship shook, and for a moment the inertial dampers went offline. The missles had hit.
BOOOM!
The ship shook again as an explosion tried to rip the outer layer of hull from the vessel. "Valkyrie class," said the tactical officer, pulling herself back into her seat. She was bleeding from a head wound and clutching her side. "Delayed detonation warheads. That should be it. They don't have them in full production yet."
Alarms were going off all over the vessel.
"How badly were we hit?" asked StarMaker, not taking her eyes off the navigation screen for an instant. She had barely managed to stay on her feet by clutching on to the console.
"Shields are weak but holding. I don't think they got a solid hit, Commander," said the tactical officer, sounding as confident as only someone so young can.
"Since we are still talking, neither do I. Perhaps the gods are with us today." Or luck that none of the plasma burning through the shields struck anything vital. But after saying what she said, StarMaker immediately regretted it. The Kinmokunai gods are never to be taken for granted ...
"We sure got them," continued the tactical officer, grinning through her pain. "They are launching life pods ... well they were. They just exploded. Must have lost antimatter containment."
"We will be at the portal in thirteen microns. Pass the word for the crew to--"
"Incoming. Gods, it's another Valkyrie! They must have launched it just before they blew up."
"Pass the word for the crew to prepare for transition, I don't have communications from here. Twelve microns to transition."
The tactical officer quickly switched to communications. "All hands, prepare for transition."
"Transition in 11 microns ... ten microns ... nine ..."
When the count was down to three, the missile disappeared from the displays, and the tactical officer said no more. StarMaker reached out with her power to guide the ship, because the navigation display had died--but not the controls. Did her power keep them working? She would wonder about that later, but for now, StarMaker threw every part of herself into getting the ship and any who were still alive through the portal. In her Senshi form, she could feel the chaotic physics of the portal closing in on the ship, trying to scatter it across a million universes. She heard nothing with her ears, for the air was gone from the bridge. But in her mind she heard the Voices, as did everyone who had gone through one of the portals. Or at least the ones who had returned.
And then it was over. They were elsewhere. The view was magnificent, for one side of the bridge was open to space now. The bridge displays were all dead--the tactical officer was dead, from either the vacuum or the large crater in her chest left by some flying globule of molten metal.
But the debris and the tactical officer were all lying on the deck, not floating, so the artificial gravity and shields were still working. The ship was alive, and there had to be survivors ...
StarMaker bent down over the tactical officer, and realized that she was burned beyond recognition. She hadn't even known her long enough to memorize her name.
March, 2009
Seiya glanced up at the entrance to the shrine he had come to many times when he had been on this planet before. It seemed so different now, so quiet. A young lady was sweeping some leaves from the steps as he approached. From a distance, looking at the black-haired girl in shrine clothing, he thought for a moment it must be ... but this was a young lady ... "Excuse me, miss, I was wondering if you could help me?"
"Of course, sir," said the girl. She had a surprisingly deep voice for someone of her small stature. "Do you want to buy a charm? Perhaps a small statue?"
"No, thank you. I'm looking for an old friend, Hino Rei. She lived here at this temple for a long time. Her grandfather was the priest."
The young lady smiled slightly at the young man and shook her head. "My grandfather has run this shrine for almost a decade now," she replied. "I have no idea where the previous priest went, or anything about his family. Maybe grandfather can help you." The young woman bowed nervously and stumbled a bit as she backed away, tripping over some slight obstruction she hadn't noticed with her eyes glued to Seiya.
A few moments later an older man emerged from the shrine. He was a great contrast to the old hentai Seiya remembered. "My granddaughter tells me you are looking for Hino Rei? I've never met the girl. Woman now, of course. I barely knew Hino-san," the priest replied. He paused for a moment of thought and then looked back at Seiya. "There was another priest named Kurohashi here for about a year after Hino-san left, but he died suddenly."
"Do you know where Hino-san or his granddaughter went?" asked Seiya, noticing that the young girl had come back and was trying to make eye contact while pretending to sweep.
The old priest shook his head. "I'm afraid I don't. I wish you luck in finding your friend, though," he replied.
Seiya sighed slightly and smiled at the young girl and her grandfather. "Thank you," he said, bowing before he turned to go. As he made his way down the many stairs to the street, he began thinking of all the places he had looked. At the bottom of the steps he paused, turned around, and took one last look at the place where the Senshi of this system had once gathered. 'It seems so long ago. Almost a lifetime.' No one seemed to remember any of the girls he and his friends had left behind. All he had learned so far was that the Professor was dead, the Tsukinos had left Japan and there was no one left that remembered he had been a singer. Ami's mother was now in some remote village in Africa, but he had never really gotten to know her.
Seiya had one more place to look, Juuban High School. They would still have records on where transfer information had been sent, the only trick would be getting in to see the files. If his luck held out, he might be able to at least find the name of the city Usagi's family had moved to. After all, he did have reason to be at the school. He had to sign up his 'sisters' to take the exams.
Walking into the school, he could tell much hadn't changed in the twelve years he had been gone. He soon realized luck wasn't on his side as a secretary told him none of his former teachers were still at the school. She knew some of the female teachers were married, but, having been there only two months, she didn't know their maiden names. "Why are you here? Do you have a child in this school?" she asked after a few moments.
"No. My sisters are considering taking the exam for Juuban. I was hoping to talk with some of my old teachers and see if the school was as good as when I went here, but that has been several years ago," Seiya replied.
"Well, I'm sure someone would be willing to talk to you, if you would like to have a seat," the secretary replied. "I forgot to ask your name."
"It's Seiya Kou. Or at least it was twelve years ago." A redheaded woman had come into the office and was watching him. She smiled at the secretary and handed her a file of papers. "Unless I am completely mistaken."
Seiya smiled, shaking his head. "No, you're not mistaken. That is who I was all those years ago." He looked at the older woman carefully. "And you are Sakurada-sensei?"
"My name is Wakagi now," said the redhead. "I did not live out my life as an old maid after all."
"That is wonderful to hear," said Seiya politely--and yes, with real feeling, because he was beginning to really remember her. But she was not his primary concern. "I guess if you're still here, then the girls will be in safe hands."
Wakagi Haruna looked at him curiously. "Girls? You're not old enough to have kids in this school, Seiya-san. Unless there was more going on in school than we teachers realized."
Seiya chuckled slightly. "No, teach. They're my sisters. And Taiki-chan's. They're actually why we had to leave. We became their guardians when they were just little."
"Oh? That's a lot of responsibility for three teenagers." Haruna motioned for the younger man to follow her and led him back into the Teacher's Lounge. Once she was sure there was no one else around, she smiled at him. "Now, how about the truth?"
"What? That was the truth. We had to leave to take care of our sisters." Seiya started fidgeting under the redhead's stare.
Haruna chuckled a little as she poured them both some tea. "Don't worry, Seiya-san, I know the truth about the girls. And it's not hard to figure out that the three of you were involved. Besides, I remember from your records that the three of you were only children. At least that's what you told the school."
"Uh ... that was for the girls' sake. We thought it best that no one think we were related. Just in case." Seiya watched his former teacher carefully. He could tell she wasn't buying his story.
Haruna sipped her tea. "If you want to stick to that story for now, fine. I expect the truth later on, though. So, how many more students can we expect to be enrolling?"
Seiya sipped at his tea before answering. "Four, at the moment. Though we may not be able to get all the paperwork they'd need. They've been home-schooled their entire lives."
"And why are you enrolling them in public school now?"
"They wanted to. For the most part. We also wanted them to get to know what school in Japan was like. Not to mention the fact that we had to move so far from home after ... well, let's just say life hasn't been ... easy recently." Seiya finished his tea and glanced at Haruna. "Sorry to keep you. Do you have a class you need to get back to?"
Haruna glanced at the clock and sighed. "Unfortunately. They're well enough behaved that I can leave them on their own for a time, but ... I have to be there for the next group." She finished her tea as well and cleaned up their mess. "Why don't we finish this conversation over dinner? My house, tomorrow. Bring the guys and the girls. I'm sure my husband would love to meet all of you."
"I don't know if the other guys can make it or not. Taiki-chan's still in Russia, wrapping up a few things there. And Yaten-chan ... well, I don't know if he'll feel like coming or not. The girls would love it, though. They've wanted to see Tokyo all their lives." Seiya smiled at the older woman and gave her the phone number to where they were staying. "The house we were going to get fell through and we haven't had a chance to look for another one yet."
"Well, I hope you find one soon. I know how hard it can be." Haruna wrote down her number and address and handed the paper to him. "Whether or not Yaten-san comes, I hope you and the girls will. It's been a long time since I've talked to any of my former students."
Seiya thanked her and followed her out of the Lounge. He got the paperwork he requested from the secretary and left the office. He glanced at the paper Haruna had given him and smiled. "Maybe I can find out what I need from her. If nothing else, she should at least be able to tell me where I can find Odango."
"Do we have to do this?"
Seiya glanced at his daughter and sighed. "Yes, Shi, you have to. Not because I want you to, but because you can't spend the rest of your life locked in this hotel room."
A girl with long brown hair smiled at her as she helped the blonde pull her hair into pigtails. "Come on, sis. It'll be fun. Besides, how many times will we get the chance to impress our future teachers with our courtly manners?" Miyo rolled her eyes and winked at her twin. "I'm sure they'd love to hear all about our trip through space."
"Yes, and the evil aliens threatening to take over our home world." A slightly younger girl with bright blue hair bounced into the room. "Why we could even take the space ships in for show and tell."
"Very funny girls. Just remember the cover story, ok? We need for them to believe that you guys are our sisters, not our daughters." Seiya watched the three girls for a moment then walked across the hall. Since he was the first one on the planet, he had arranged for the group to use the entire floor of the bed and breakfast. They could still teleport to the ship when needed, but this gave them a place on Earth from which they could search for their friends. He knocked on the door across from the one he had just left. "Princess, are you ready?"
Kakyuu opened the door and smiled at her long time protector and friend. "Come on in. Usami will be ready in just a moment, but Tsuki has decided to stay here." She waited until he was inside then closed the door. Even though he had rented the entire floor, she still felt uncomfortable. She had never gotten used to Earth like the others had. She spent most of her time on this planet in a dormant state.
Seiya frowned slightly, glancing over at the youngest of Kakyuu's children. "I am sorry to hear that. I think you would like Sa-Wakagi-san."
Kakyuu noticed her daughter shrug and turn her attention back to the data unit in her hand. Sighing, the older redhead looked at Seiya. "Are you sure this is a good idea, Kou?"
"Empress-"
"Kakyuu. It's just Kakyuu now, my friend. I have no kingdom and I have no throne."
Seiya reached out to touch her arm and smiled sadly. "As long as there are Kinmoku, you are our Empress."
Usami stepped out of the bathroom and smiled a little at the scene in front of her. "Are we ready to go, uncle?"
Seiya nodded, turning to the dark-haired girl. "Yes, but remember, I'm not your uncle tonight."
"I remember." Usami walked over to the younger redhead and hugged her. "It'll be ok, Tsu. Shirou's coming down to keep you company while we're gone. And I'm sure Rei-chan will run you both ragged." She then walked over to hug her mother, mouthing 'I tried'. "Don't worry, Dema, we'll be fine."
Kakyuu returned the hug and smiled at her daughter. "I know, dear. It is just ... the last time I was on Earth, this was not a very safe place. I hope your uncles know what they're doing in coming here." She released the girl and turned back to Seiya. "I am entrusting her to you, old friend."
"Do not worry, Em-Kakyuu-sama. I will not let anything happen." Seiya bowed to the redhead then escorted the younger woman into the hallway where the other three teenagers were waiting. 'Besides, what could happen to five Senshi walking through downtown Tokyo?'
